2009 Season
Cubs Team Report
The Cubs went into this season with high expectations and were the odds-on favorites to win their third straight NL Central title. Instead, they suffered through a season of injury, under-performance and distraction created by Milton Bradley, a free agent acquisition who was supposed to solve an important offensive problem.
General manager Jim Hendry pointed out that although it might take him four or five months to finalize a roster for the 2010 Cubs, the team is coming off a disappointing season but not a disastrous one.
"There were a lot of positives, and we don't have a poor situation by any stretch of the imagination," Hendry said. "We have a lot of good guys coming back. We don't have an old team."
The Cubs thought they had solved their need for a left-handed bat when they signed Bradley, a switch-hitting right fielder, to a three-year, $30 million contract. That deal blew up in the Cubs' faces. Bradley didn't produce as expected, and Hendry suspended him with two weeks to go in the season after several behavior-related incidents.
Injuries to left fielder Alfonso Soriano and third baseman Aramis Ramirez certainly hurt, but so did poor seasons by Soriano, catcher Geovany Soto and second baseman Mike Fontenot.
The Cubs have good starting pitching coming back. Minor injuries kept all but right-hander Ryan Dempster from reaching 200 innings, but with a staff that includes Dempster, lefty Ted Lilly, nominal ace Carlos Zambrano and Rookie of the Year Candidate Randy Wells, the pitching should be in good hands.
The back of the bullpen was a problem until Carlos Marmol replaced Kevin Gregg as the closer. Promising reliever Angel Guzman pulled up lame with a minor triceps injury at the end of the season, but John Grabow came over from Pittsburgh in July and solidified the 'pen from the left side.
A lack of speed and range on defense remain glaring weaknesses on this team, but the smaller dimensions of Wrigley Field offset that somewhat.
Look for Hendry to acquire a middle-of-the-order hitter after he trades Bradley. A leadoff-type hitter also might be on the radar, but with new ownership coming in this fall, Hendry might be hampered financially.
The Cubs finished with winning records three seasons in a row for the first time since 1967-72, and the nucleus is there to get back to the playoffs in 2010. Hendry is on the clock, and he'll need to make wise decisions now more than ever.
2009 NL Central Standings
(FINAL)
TEAM W L PCT GB HOME ROAD DIV
---------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Louis 91 71 .562 --- 46-35 45-36 46-34
Chicago Cubs 83 78 .516 7 1/2 46-34 37-44 47-32
Milwaukee 80 82 .494 11 40-41 40-41 42-37
Cincinnati 78 84 .481 13 40-41 38-43 46-34
Houston 74 88 .457 17 44-37 30-51 31-47
Pittsburgh 62 99 .385 28 1/2 40-41 22-58 24-52
Final 2009 Individual Statistics - Chicago Cubs
| BATTERS |
BA |
SLG |
OBA |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
TB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
E |
| Ramirez, Aramis |
.317 |
.516 |
.389 |
82 |
306 |
46 |
97 |
158 |
14 |
1 |
15 |
65 |
28 |
43 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
| Lee, Derrek |
.306 |
.579 |
.393 |
141 |
532 |
91 |
163 |
308 |
36 |
2 |
35 |
111 |
76 |
109 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
| Baker, Jeff |
.305 |
.448 |
.362 |
69 |
203 |
27 |
62 |
91 |
15 |
1 |
4 |
21 |
17 |
46 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Fuld, Sam |
.299 |
.412 |
.409 |
65 |
97 |
17 |
29 |
40 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
17 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| Theriot, Ryan |
.284 |
.369 |
.343 |
154 |
602 |
81 |
171 |
222 |
20 |
5 |
7 |
54 |
51 |
93 |
21 |
10 |
15 |
| Taguchi, So |
.273 |
.364 |
.333 |
6 |
11 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Fox, Jake |
.259 |
.468 |
.311 |
82 |
216 |
23 |
56 |
101 |
12 |
0 |
11 |
44 |
14 |
47 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
| Fukudome, Kosuke |
.259 |
.421 |
.375 |
146 |
499 |
79 |
129 |
210 |
38 |
5 |
11 |
54 |
93 |
112 |
6 |
10 |
2 |
| Bradley, Milton |
.257 |
.397 |
.378 |
124 |
393 |
61 |
101 |
156 |
17 |
1 |
12 |
40 |
66 |
95 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
| Johnson, Reed |
.255 |
.412 |
.330 |
65 |
165 |
23 |
42 |
68 |
10 |
2 |
4 |
22 |
13 |
27 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| Blanco, Andres |
.252 |
.341 |
.303 |
53 |
123 |
15 |
31 |
42 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
8 |
14 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
| Scales, Bobby |
.242 |
.411 |
.312 |
51 |
124 |
15 |
30 |
51 |
8 |
2 |
3 |
15 |
11 |
32 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Soriano, Alfonso |
.241 |
.423 |
.303 |
117 |
477 |
64 |
115 |
202 |
25 |
1 |
20 |
55 |
40 |
118 |
9 |
2 |
11 |
| Hoffpauir, Micah |
.239 |
.427 |
.300 |
105 |
234 |
28 |
56 |
100 |
12 |
1 |
10 |
35 |
20 |
46 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| Hill, Koyie |
.237 |
.324 |
.312 |
83 |
253 |
26 |
60 |
82 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
24 |
27 |
78 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Fontenot, Mike |
.236 |
.377 |
.301 |
135 |
377 |
38 |
89 |
142 |
22 |
2 |
9 |
43 |
35 |
83 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
| Marshall, Sean |
.231 |
.231 |
.286 |
55 |
13 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Hart, Kevin |
.222 |
.222 |
.222 |
8 |
9 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Soto, Geovany |
.218 |
.381 |
.321 |
102 |
331 |
27 |
72 |
126 |
19 |
1 |
11 |
47 |
50 |
77 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
| Zambrano, Carlos |
.217 |
.464 |
.225 |
35 |
69 |
7 |
15 |
32 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
11 |
1 |
28 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Gathright, Joey |
.214 |
.214 |
.267 |
20 |
14 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
| Samardzija, Jeff |
.200 |
.800 |
.200 |
20 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Wells, Randy |
.191 |
.255 |
.224 |
27 |
47 |
5 |
9 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Harden, Rich |
.186 |
.209 |
.205 |
27 |
43 |
3 |
8 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Miles, Aaron |
.185 |
.242 |
.224 |
74 |
157 |
17 |
29 |
38 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
21 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
| Colvin, Tyler |
.176 |
.176 |
.250 |
6 |
17 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Gorzelanny, Tom |
.167 |
.167 |
.231 |
13 |
12 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Freel, Ryan |
.143 |
.143 |
.226 |
14 |
28 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Dempster, Ryan |
.125 |
.141 |
.176 |
31 |
64 |
2 |
8 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Lilly, Ted |
.088 |
.140 |
.119 |
27 |
57 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
27 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
| Guzman, Angel |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
55 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Ascanio, Jose |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
14 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Caridad, Esmailin |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
14 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Heilman, Aaron |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
70 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Marmol, Carlos |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
79 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Gregg, Kevin |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
72 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Cotts, Neal |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Patton, David |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Waddell, Jason |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Berg, Justin |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Vizcaino, Luis |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Atkins, Mitch |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Stevens, Jeff |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Fox, Chad |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Grabow, John |
.000 |
.000 |
.000 |
30 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| PITCHERS |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
CG |
GF |
SH |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
HR |
BB |
SO |
| Atkins, Mitch |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Vizcaino, Luis |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3.2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Berg, Justin |
0 |
0 |
0.75 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
12.0 |
10 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
| Caridad, Esmailin |
1 |
0 |
1.40 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
19.1 |
15 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
17 |
| Hart, Kevin |
3 |
1 |
2.60 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
27.2 |
23 |
8 |
8 |
3 |
18 |
13 |
| Guzman, Angel |
3 |
3 |
2.95 |
55 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
1 |
61.0 |
41 |
20 |
20 |
8 |
23 |
47 |
| Wells, Randy |
12 |
10 |
3.05 |
27 |
27 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
165.1 |
165 |
67 |
56 |
14 |
46 |
104 |
| Lilly, Ted |
12 |
9 |
3.10 |
27 |
27 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
177.0 |
151 |
66 |
61 |
22 |
36 |
151 |
| Grabow, John |
0 |
0 |
3.24 |
30 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
25.0 |
19 |
9 |
9 |
1 |
12 |
16 |
| Marmol, Carlos |
2 |
4 |
3.41 |
79 |
0 |
0 |
29 |
0 |
15 |
74.0 |
43 |
29 |
28 |
2 |
65 |
93 |
| Ascanio, Jose |
0 |
1 |
3.52 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
15.1 |
18 |
6 |
6 |
1 |
9 |
18 |
| Dempster, Ryan |
11 |
9 |
3.65 |
31 |
31 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
200.0 |
196 |
94 |
81 |
22 |
65 |
172 |
| Zambrano, Carlos |
9 |
7 |
3.77 |
35 |
28 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
169.1 |
155 |
78 |
71 |
10 |
78 |
152 |
| Harden, Rich |
9 |
9 |
4.09 |
27 |
26 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
141.0 |
122 |
74 |
64 |
23 |
67 |
171 |
| Heilman, Aaron |
4 |
4 |
4.11 |
70 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
1 |
72.1 |
68 |
34 |
33 |
9 |
34 |
65 |
| Marshall, Sean |
3 |
7 |
4.32 |
55 |
9 |
1 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
85.1 |
91 |
43 |
41 |
10 |
32 |
68 |
| Gregg, Kevin |
5 |
6 |
4.72 |
72 |
0 |
0 |
51 |
0 |
23 |
68.2 |
60 |
38 |
36 |
13 |
30 |
71 |
| Waddell, Jason |
0 |
0 |
5.40 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Gorzelanny, Tom |
4 |
2 |
5.63 |
13 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
38.1 |
39 |
25 |
24 |
6 |
13 |
40 |
| Patton, David |
3 |
1 |
6.83 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
27.2 |
31 |
22 |
21 |
4 |
19 |
23 |
| Stevens, Jeff |
1 |
0 |
7.11 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
12.2 |
14 |
10 |
10 |
2 |
8 |
9 |
| Cotts, Neal |
0 |
2 |
7.36 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
11.0 |
14 |
9 |
9 |
3 |
9 |
9 |
| Samardzija, Jeff |
1 |
3 |
7.53 |
20 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
34.2 |
46 |
29 |
29 |
7 |
15 |
21 |
| Fox, Chad |
0 |
0 |
135.00 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.1 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
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/ revised October 13, 2009.
